The fort was quieter than usual again.
Not relaxed quiet this time.
Focused quiet.
The kind that happens right before something clicks.
The laptop screen still glowed in the center of the blanket walls.
The corrupted entry sat there:
It$9dri
Yuji leaned in closer.
"…Okay, we've been staring at this too long."
Panda tapped the screen lightly.
"…We're overcomplicating it."
Hakari squinted.
"…Or it's undercomplicated and we're idiots."
Kirara crossed their arms.
"…Both can be true."
Megumi didn't say anything, but his eyes stayed locked on the symbols.
Yuta adjusted his glasses slightly.
"…Try removing noise characters."
Gojo tilted his head.
"…Good start."
Takeru reached over.
Slowly edited the entry.
It$dri → Itdri → Itdori → Itadori
A beat.
Yuji froze.
"…No way."
Panda blinked.
"…That's… actually just Yuji."
Hakari laughed once.
"…Of course it was."
Kirara muttered:
"…That was right in front of us."
Yuji pointed at himself.
"…WHY WAS THAT CODED LIKE A FINAL BOSS NAME?!"
Takeru leaned back.
Then immediately held his head.
"…Guys, are we all stupid?"
Silence.
Hakari raised a hand.
"…Yes."
Panda nodded.
"…Collectively."
Megumi sighed.
"…Probably."
Yuji groaned.
"…Don't just agree with him!"
Takeru continued, still thinking out loud now.
"…It, d, ri. Itadori."
He looked at Yuji.
"…Your bloodline."
Yuji blinked.
"…My bloodline?"
Takeru nodded.
Then shifted focus again.
"…But Zen'in."
A pause.
"…Kamo."
Gojo's expression sharpened slightly.
"…And Gojo."
Hakari frowned.
"…Those are three major clans."
Panda added quietly:
"…And one unknown bloodline."
Takeru exhaled slowly.
Then leaned forward again.
"…How am I all of those?"
Silence dropped again.
He didn't sound dramatic.
Just genuinely trying to solve something that didn't fit.
Yuji looked at him.
"…You're not saying you literally are all of them, right?"
Takeru shook his head slightly.
"…No."
A pause.
"…But the connections exist."
Megumi spoke carefully.
"…That would require lineage interference."
Yuta nodded.
"…Or forced integration of bloodlines."
Hakari frowned.
"…That sounds like mad science stuff."
Gojo didn't speak immediately.
Then:
"…Kenjaku."
Everyone turned slightly.
Takeru nodded once.
"…That is the most likely vector."
Yuji swallowed.
"…So you're saying… Kenjaku messed with your family tree?"
Takeru hesitated.
Then answered honestly.
"…Or more specifically…"
A pause.
"…Possessed my mother across multiple points of lineage manipulation."
Silence.
Even Hakari stopped joking.
Panda slowly exhaled.
"…That escalated."
Kirara muttered:
"…That's actually horrifying."
Megumi's eyes narrowed.
"…That would explain the overlap."
Yuta added quietly:
"…And the contradictions."
Yuji looked down.
"…So I'm in there too because of that?"
Takeru nodded.
"…Yes."
A pause.
"…But not fully understood yet."
Gojo leaned back slightly.
His tone calmer again, but serious.
"…Kenjaku doesn't create clean lines."
Hakari crossed his arms.
"…So what now?"
Takeru looked at the screen.
At the decoded word.
At everything around it.
Then answered simply.
"…We map the rest."
Yuji sighed.
"…Of course we do."
Panda nodded.
"…More research."
Kirara added:
"…Always more research."
Megumi stood up slightly.
"…And more questions."
Gojo smiled faintly.
"…And less answers than you want."
Takeru leaned back again.
Looking at all of them.
"…We continue."
And the fort—once a sleepover—
quietly became something else again.
Not urgent.
Not panicked.
Just… aware.